May 2005

Kylie has cancer? Mastering the Mormon movement in SLC? El Jane Fonda cinematically fighting with La Lopez? An escort-listing website that’s low-balling both their customers & escorts? This goal of this week’s 15 Minutes is to be so full of flap that even the Michael Jackson trial looks like a cakewalk in comparison *wink*

First things first…. Stupid human tricks:

It’s beyond me to understand why a few (very) bad apples tend to spoil the entire crop. Case-in-point, an internet message center I formerly frequented has now gone offline due to a small group of men who would rather act like children than grown adults. It’s passed the point of arguing the ‘free speech’ schpiel and turned into nothing more than a pit of drudge and something that the former owner would shake his head at in disgust. The moderators were definitely doing their best to control things with what they had, but now it looks like Daddy has stepped in and taken control of the long-term vision. For that I give a big thanks.

Over the past week, I’ve found myself in both Salt Lake City and Palm Springs: Two places that couldn’t be more different, but both are incredibly beautiful in their individual ways. Some of the new pics I’ve been posting were taken around SLC, which continually amazes me with its natural beauty, clean air and truly friendly people, while Palm Springs offers some amazing desert sunsets, boisterous old beauties on stage and an eclectic collection of ideas and ideals, all mish-mashed into a relatively small space.

Salt Lake is mostly a cement city, due in part to the Olympic Games which practically rebuilt most of the city in prep. While beautiful, most of downtown is tree-less. It is probably the most clean city I’ve ever seen, but still running a close second to Singapore where chewing gum is legal only by doctor’s prescription. Interesting, eh? A little scary if you ask me. I ate at a really groovy joint called ‘The Blue Plate,’ which served the best eggs benedict I’ve ever had. It was an awesome meal, but even better were the surly waitresses and the reworked look of a 1950’s diner. While SLC doesn’t have a bonafide ‘gay hood,’ it did seem that many of the locals who were family-friendly stopped by the Plate and caught a bite to eat.

I will say that Salt Lake is twink heaven for those who enjoy the type. Mounds of slim, white Mormons-in-hiding pack the local bars at night. I was actually a bit taken back at the lack of racial diversity in the city and found nightlife to be a bit too whitewashed for me. It’s not that I was looking to go home with someone and fuck around, but it simply makes for a better environment when you have a smattering of this & that. Gary Indiana this was not…

For a better look at local SLC boys, click here for the local club photographer’s site.

Palm Springs was fun. The temperature this past weekend was around 105, so spending time in clothing was not on the agenda. We were shacking up at The Viceroy, not a gay-exclusive property, but a most beautiful one in any case. The rooms were interestingly done in monochromatic with bright lime green accents. It’s conveniently located to the main drag (Palm Canyon Rd) and to the gay strip (Arenas Rd), with easy in-and-out (ahem) access to the B&B;’s in Warm Sands.

One of my favorite things about the drive from LA to Palm Springs is getting the chance to stop for some grub at In & Out Burger. WHOOHOO! Those burgers are the best in the world (with White Castle nipping at their heels of course) and it’s my one food indulgence that I always look forward to. The location is perfectly situated in-between the desert and the city, so stopping for a mid-trip snack is always an easy ordeal. Watching me eat at In&Out; is vaguely reminiscent of seeing a family of wild boars tearing apart a fresh carcass. It’s delightful to say the least. It’s also quite telltale that the waitress at In&Out; offered me a bib…

So anyway: The first night in we had dinner with friends who live in Cathedral City, so we went to this new place called ‘Peters.’ It’s not in the most accessible location, but once you find it and get situated, you know it’s something special. It’s got a good vibe. The menu is well thought-out and the food is great. From the way things were looking that night, I had thought a relaxing evening with friends would commence.

I thought wrong…

Michael, a friend of mine, thought it would be keen to spice up the dining room and ask a fella at the table next to us to shake his groove thing on the adjoining dance floor. He accepted, but his boyfriend looked a little pissed off. After a bit of grinding (in a predominantly straight restaurant) on the dance floor, the guy’s boyfriend got up and asked Michael’s boyfriend to dance.

Suddenly this was turning into the prom scene in Grease waaaaay too quickly.

To make a long story short, this could have ended in a Jerry Springer-esque brawl over after-dinner coffee but it didn’t. Practically the entire place got into watching the two couples getting their groove on and one-by-one they all ended up joining in. By the time we left, the whole restaurant was dancing on chairs and tables: It’s amazing what a few glasses of vino can do to a crowd. It was, however, a fantastic experience 🙂

The following day was spent counter actively crisping in the sun while wearing SPF 40. LOL. I did get a little natural color, but still prefer to stick to a MysticTan. That night was spent enjoying The Follies and their line of long-legged Lovelies. Their feature act was The Four Aces and they sounded pretty solid after all this time. I definitely knew some of their songs, but it’s a whole different experience hearing them in-person. I also found that I knew one of the Follies male dancers through a mutual friend: He had danced for years on the Gary Moore Show and my old acting coaches had also been longtime guests of that series as well. It’s funny how incredibly small this world can be sometimes.

After the show, we stopped for some Thai food at this little hole-in-the-wall joint on the main drag. The food is always good, the price low and the service friendly. Well, this time the service seemed a little too friendly…

Let me explain: We had finished up eating and waited for the bill to come back. Our waiter, a Thai version of Andy Warhol, came back with the bill and thanked us for eating there. He also mentioned hoping to ‘see us at Hunters,’ a local gay bar. We knowingly laughed and said ‘who knows.’ The Warholian waiter then asked us if we wanted some ‘Thai Coochie’ for dessert and if so, he’s be at Hunters later that night.

My jaw dropped. I tried to stop from laughing, but couldn’t get my hands to my mouth fast enough. It was one of THOSE moments. The pa-naang at the restaurant was delicious, but the waiter definitely made the meal.

Meanwhile, I didn’t notice any ‘Thai Coochie’ on the menu….

Strange, but appreciated moment of the week: Some guy yelling my name at LAX and saying how much he loved the blog. If you’re out
there reading this sir, thanks for the compliment! Next time, however, I do suggest waiting to yell this out until AFTER we’ve gone through security. Thanks to you, i was the lucky contestant to be frisked by a rather large and angry woman named Flo. With a name like that, she should have been working at a truck stop diner somewhere. She could also have used a little upper-lip wax, but i digress.

Big congrats to my Key West Connection for getting engaged!!!! I know I’ve privately let you know of my feelings, but I cannot express how happy I am for you two. I’m assuming there will be a registry started at Mister S correct? I’m going for the ass-less chaps.

If you had your choice between this and Jennifer Aniston, which would YOU choose? I thought so…

Flying to LA, I read through the recent issue of both Vanity Fair (an addiction for me) and Time, which had a great article on the new 7E7 Dreamliner plane from Boeing. While Continental is the only airline in the states to order this new plane (which will be competing indirectly with the new, already air-tested, Airbus) in 2007, it looks like Boeing is trying to usher in a new era of in-flight comfort. The one thing I’m most excited about? Humidified and well-filtered air in the cabin. Since most planes only recycle 20% of their total air per hour, it seems to me that most of our time flying is spent breathing other people’s oxygen. Not cool. It’s also the main reason I’m a huge advocate of using Airborne tablets when flying. A great product. Other improvements will see a wider seat in coach, much larger windows throughout the plane, LED atmospheric lighting and high ceilings to cut down on the sense of being in a flying tube. While they’re not going over-the-top like Virgin Atlantic is (a spa, piano, waterfalls and gym onboard), this will usher in a new way for Americans to fly, all while remaining cost-effective for both parties.

Vanity Fair’s article on Steve Wynn is also fascinating. They give a sneak peek on the new Wynn Resort, which opened last month in Las Vegas. The article also gives a better idea of just who Wynn is and what makes him tick. Interesting guy. An intense guy with a whole lot of vision and someone you’d definitely want playing on your team.

Just one more ‘retirement tour’ and i can afford to have my blood changed-out again…

Speaking of Wynn Resort: I got wind that the fantastic-plastic one, Cher, will be moving into his hotel as the main attraction early next year. She’s recently wrapped up her 4+ year retirement tour and has just been offered a contract to headline at the hotel in direct competition with Celine Dion across the street. I foresee Cher kicking the shit out of the Dion in sales if they end up going head-to-head, but I suppose that only time will tell. If you thought Cher’s costumes were lavish on the tour, just wait till you get a load of them in Vegas! Talk about a cracked-out-Mackie creation. WHEW! It’s going to be great. I’ve already heard they plan to have Cher-impersonator drag queen backup dancers in the show at some point.

American Male Escorts is SO not hot…

I got a couple of emails from American Male (an escort listing site) recently, letting me know of new reviews submitted on me. First off, I didn’t even know they got into the review business, so that was sort of a shock. Secondly, the reviews were obviously bogus. How do I know this? Well, since I’ve yet to finalize my independent trips to both LA and NYC, it would seem that a review of me being there would be impossible. The review also mentioned doing incalls, which is something I have yet to do when traveling. Seems to me that American Male is knowingly posting FALSE reviews of escorts and when several emails to their webmaster went unanswered, I thought it would be best to bring the situation to light here on 15 Minutes. If a listing site doesn’t have an escort’s best interest at heart, then it’s not worth your time or trouble. As someone who’s looking for an escort, wouldn’t it be more credible to go to a site that verifies their reviews and takes time to make sure there’s some truth in what they say? Put plain and simple, stick with M4M Reviews if you’re wanting the real deal. The buck continues to stop at HooBoys.

My guilty pleasure of the past week definitely went to catching Jane Fonda’s new flick ‘Monster-in-Law.’ It was fantastically predictable, but what great fun it was watching these two beauties go toe-to-toe. Fonda looks incredible. I don’t know if she’s 60% plastic by now or if she’s just using copious amounts of Scotch tape, but she radiates throughout the movie. Jennifer Lopez is way out of her league in terms of committing to the character the way Fonda does, but she still sells the cutie-pie act with aplomb. Michael Vartan, who was once quite a hot guy, is now nothing more that a Botoxed forehead with a killer smile. Fonda is the selling point here, as she really goes over-the-top in creating an insane mother figure. She totally committed to it and it worked. Also, many huge laughs go to a cameo from Elaine Stritch, who not surprisingly has a few choice words for Fonda’s character. Very funny.

Damn Botox. I can’t show emotion for another half-hour…

It’s also sad that Fonda is ultimately reopening old wounds with Vietnam vets due to her past visits and picketing in North Korea. I think that she’s a changed woman from who she was 30 years ago, but unfortunately that doesn’t mean much to the vets who watched her try to make a bad situation camera-ready. Much like the many relationships in her life, I think she was young and taken advantage of by people who were whispering the wrong things in her ear. Does she regret what she did? I think so. Does it matter at this point? No.

I was reading through USA Today recently (aka, the paper for people with attention-spans of Tupperware) and found an article about a theater owner in Tenessee who is refusing to show Fonda’s new film due to the same scuffle so many years ago. While it’s definitely his choice, it’s also what i would consider a bad business decision… Seeing as this same theater owner wouldn’t also show Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9-11, it seems to me that his competition in town is most happy to get the runoff. Again, it’s his call, but it’s also a silly grudge to hold when it’s bad for business.

Sometimes the healer of all wounds (time) doesn’t necessarily mend so well.

But back to the new film….

I hear the outtakes on the DVD will be awesome, as the slapping scene between Fonda and Lopez was a real doozy to shoot: Seems that Lopez often times forgot to take off her many rings and clocked Fonda pretty good, leaving dents on that memorable mug of hers.

Is this George Romero or an ethereal Haray Carey? You decide…

I also got a woody over the trailer for George Romero’s new zombie-fest ‘Land of the Dead’ hitting theaters thi
s fall. It’s so nice to see the master of these movies back in the saddle again 🙂

A friend of mine in the UK was all excited about seeing Kylie Minogue’s new tour, but called me yesterday to let me know she’s cancelled the whole thing due to a breast cancer diagnosis. What a terrible situation and I honestly hope she beats it. Minogue’s been an amazing musical presence and while she may not have a huge following here in the states, she’s practically more popular than Madonna everywhere else. Her sister, Danni, will soon be performing at LA Pride and will hopefully have some good news to tell fans…

This week’s website is actually a link to another awesome blog with a definite penchant for eye candy as well. Click HERE for his index of beautiful boys, both past and present. As always, it’s a free link and from what i can tell, it’s void of any pop-ups. Nothing worse than flogging the flipper and having some annoying pop-up smack dab in the middle of your whack attack.

Word on the street tells me that this year’s GayDays in Orlando just might be the biggest and best one ever. That being said, The Splash-Bash Pool Party (6/3-5) at Freedom Resort is gearing up with one of the main event parties that’s sure to be a real slobberknocker. Here are some of the particulars for those interested:

*Live DJ’s such as internationally renowned Lydia Prim, DJ Anthony and more. *Incredible Entertainment such as Kevin Aviance, Motion, The GayWatch Boys, porn stars Billy Brandt and Chase Hunter and our beautiful Hostess Stephanie Shippae. *There will be VIP cocktail parties daily as well as a Celebrity Gala @4pm Friday. *Be a part of a Reality TV pilot filming during the festivities only at Freedom. *Tickets are $25 a day or $50 for all 3 days… What a deal!

To cap this week’s edition off, let’s end on an EYE CANDY note. Enjoy!

BN

“I care NOT what people say about me, just so long as they keep talking about me…” — Bette Davis